Sama Reitzes is all about building stronger communities through good food, sustainable practices and making gardening accessible to everyone. The UC Davis alum earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and environmental education last winter and continues to grow that work on campus, where she’s joined efforts to install a new ADA-accessible garden and make green spaces more inclusive for all.

Under a canopy of trees, young kids dig for worms in a compost bin on campus. Their little dirt-covered fingertips gently pluck out one they think will be speedy enough to win a “worm race.” Led by UC Davis students, this hands-on activity shows kids how worms play an important role in healthy soil and plant growth. It's just one of many fun lessons in the Kids in the Garden program.

Five UC Davis faculty members, including Jorge Mazza Rodrigues from CA&ES, were selected to address the university’s undergraduate commencements at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento Friday through Sunday (June 13-15).

Two UC Davis graduate students turned a springtime campus tradition into an unforgettable marriage proposal. On a bright and sunny April afternoon, the UC Davis Sheepmowers were grazing on top of the grassy mounds near the Silo. But one sheep stood out. It was wearing a special jacket with a very important question: “Wool ewe marry me?”

In the middle of the herd, Dylan Moore got down on one knee and asked her girlfriend, Lauren Mabe, to marry her.

What started as a simple sketch in Brianna Bobadilla’s notebook has transformed into an eye-catching structure – a hanging table surrounded by benches and elevated side tables. Now on display outside Hunt Hall, just steps from Memorial Union, this piece is one of three unique structures crafted by students in the LDA 160 Design and Build Studio course, which challenges students to build a new small-scale project each fall.

UC Davis students are taking their soil skills to the big stage, earning a spot in the 2025 National Collegiate Soils Contest after securing third place at the Region 6 Soil Judging Competition in New Mexico.

Last month’s regional contest, where undergraduate student teams are scored on their ability to describe and classify soils and landscapes, was held near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The event was hosted by New Mexico State University with assistance by soil scientists with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Using long fruit pickers, a UC Davis research team fans out along Putah Creek, plucking the tiny homes of gall wasps from the branches of oak trees. These small, round growths, created by California oak gall wasps, protect their larvae. In the lab, researchers are raising the insects and searching for clues about this cryptic species that’s all around yet rarely noticed.

On a campus where each budding scientist brings unique potential, a student organization at UC Davis recognizes that the future of science thrives on diverse voices and perspectives.

Driven by his passion for food science and brimming with ideas, UC Davis student Dion Skaria created Fit Candy – a nutritious treat that blends sweet and sour flavors while reducing food waste. This innovative gummy candy is crafted from upcycled watermelon rinds.

Distinguished Professor of Entomology Jay Rosenheim noticed a trend during his office hours a few years ago: Many of his undergraduate students wanted research lab experience but were unsure how to get started. Alongside colleagues Louis Yang and Joanna Chiu, they collectively decided to try something different in 2011.

“Our basic idea was to get students into the labs really early in their undergraduate programs,” Rosenheim recalled. “There’s a whole new set of skills that are very different from what students are typically working on in their formal coursework.”